Loose-leaf book construction



June 22, 1943. J. SCHADE LOOSE LEAF 800K CONSTRUCTION Filed NOV. 24, 1941 INVENTOR Jo/m' Jul/117E KTTOR YS Patented June 22, 1943 2,322,595 LOOSE-LEAF BOOK CONSTRUCTION John Schade, Holyoke, Mass, assignor to National Blank Book Company, Holyoke, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 24, 1941, Serial No. 420,179

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in loose-leaf book constructions. It is particularly useful in a large ring binder, one carrying twoinch rings for example. However, the principles of construction to be disclosed are useful also in small binders.

The main object is to provide an efficient binder, of economical construction. of simple and good appearance. As this object is accomplished by specific arrangements of parts and suitable material, I will disclose the best embodiment known to me for the purpose.

In the drawing Fig. l is a section of the book;

Fig. 2 is a perspective of two parts hinged in the back panel;

Fig. 3 is a section of cloth strips used to hinge the parts of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail section for comparison with Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a detail of strips used in the book construction; and

Fig. 6 is a detail of a suitable lock for the parts of Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 1, the book shown has covers I. and 2 hinged to back panel 3. The parts 4 and 5 of Fig. 2, made ofwood, plastic, or fiber for example, are mounted on the back panel. The complementary ring halves 6 and l are fastened firmly to these parts in any suitable manner. Each set of ring halves moves with the part 4 or 5 to which that set is fastened. The rings are moved to open or closed positions, seen in Figs. 1 and 4, by moving parts 4 and 5 on their hinge construction.

Such parts are hinged by the strips of Fig. 3. Strip 8 is sewed on its center line to the center line of strip 9. Portions 8 are fastened as by adhesive, one to the vertical wall of part 4 and the other to the vertical wall of part 5. Portions 9 are likewise fastened to the under sides of parts 6 and 5. This arrangement hinges parts i and 5 in an effective manner. The interengaging pin 4 and socket 5' acting as a dowel pin construction (Figs. 2 and 4) prevent the parts from twisting and straining in their desired closed position. This feature is also useful to avoid misalignment of the ends of the ring halves when they are closed. Instead of this sort of pin and socket arrangement, a tongue and groove construction could be substituted.

When parts 4 and 5 are moved to close the rings, the lock l3 (Fig. 6), pivoted to one part, is adapted to push down by finger end 14. This engages flange IS in slot [6 (see Fig. 2) to hold the parts together. Thus, the rings may be locked in closed position. Pushing down finger end ll will permit the parts to turn down and open the rings.

It will be noted that parts 4 and 5, carrying the sets of ring halves, the lock [3. and hinge strips, make a unit assembly. It provides what may be considered a complete loose leaf mechanism. It is adapted to be fastened to the back panel of the book binding case.

The binding case may be made up in any usual way and the mechanism fastened to it in various ways. I will disclose a way of doing this which has some particular advantages.

As shown, the case is made with covers flexibly hinged to the back panel 3. These hinges are provided as is common by cloth. The cloth extends as one strip 23 across the back of both covers and forms the back panel 3 between them. The strip is turned over the edges of the stifi'ening boards 24 forming the covers and over the top and bottom edges of the back panel portion (see Fig. 5). Ordinarily this back portion is provided with a metal stifiener and shaper strip, but in my construction the metal strip is not used. Its function is provided by the parts 4 and 5. The under surface of the latter as shaped provides the desired shape of the back panel, the under surface of hinge strip 3 being adhesively secured to the panel 3. In closed position this shape, as shown. will be curved. In open position with the book flat on a desk, the outer edges of parts 4 and 5 drop down and the hinged edges are in substantially the same plane. The back panel then is substantiall flat, it being flexible enough to take such position while the under side of parts 4 and 5 are spread as flattoned-out wings (Fig. 4). The result is that the covers as well as the back panel lie substantially flat on a desk. The whole case is flattened out to make good contact.

In this position o-fFig. 4, it will be noted that the thickness of the covers provides shoulders 58, adjacent the shelf portions it and 2(3. These shoulders are positioned so that when the covers are closed they overlie and abut the shelf pore tions while the rings contact the covers. This abutting relationship prevents the covers from shifting with respect to the back panel when the book is closed, and thus saves the cover hinge lines from excessive wearing.

The cover hinges are strengthened by strips 2!. These extend from the shoulders 22 on parts 4 and 5 over the upper curved portions, across the shelves IQ and 20, the cover hinges,

the same give the simplest kind of appearance.

Thus, the loose leaf mechanism which is so obtrusive in the appearance of the ordinary binder is in the improved binder subordinated in appearance and with improved emphasis on its union with the rest of the book.

From the above description, it will be seen how the parts may be assembled with convenient ease. The mechanism may be made as one assembled unit and the case as another. The mechanism laid on the back panel may be: fastened by adhesive, Strips 2| may be then laid on and likewise fastened. A. liner 25 when pasted' on will finish the binder.

From what has been stated it will be seen that the amount of metal which need be used in the structure is small. Assuming that the rings should be of metal, nothing else of any substantial account need be. The weight is substantial- 1y decreased as compared to all-metal'mechanisms. While my mechanism does not employ a toggle, as is common in loose leaf mechanisms of metal, there are certain advantages in that omission. Laid fiat on the desk the unlocking of parts 4 and 5 causes them to drop and open the rings. In open position, one hand can close the rings and finger pressure lock them by depressing the finger end of the lock lever. The closing movement is smooth and will not snap. It is very easy. The general upper contour of parts 4 and 5, in locked position, is substantial- ].y the same as the arched form of the spring plate used in metal toggle mechanisms. This holds the edges of the leaves or of flyleaf sheets with a high enough pivot line for easy turning of the loose sheets on their rings.

One advantage due to current-shortage of metals, is that my binder, even when of large size, uses so little. While this result is a motive in my conception of the invention as disclosed, the result of the means I have conceived to get rid of metal, is that I provide an improved binder regardless of the metal supply.

The binder is economical to make. The construction is adapted to various sizes, spacing of the rings, number of rings, kinds of material. etc, all without expensive tooling originally or for varying sizes. For example, when made of wood, parts 4 and 5 can be made to form by common wood molding machines in long strips, then merely cut tosize and finished at the ends. When made of plastic, it can be extruded, cut to size, and finished at the ends.

Having disclosed my improved construction,

its improved mode of operation and results, what I claim as my invention is:

1. A loose-leaf binder comprising covers, back panel and loose leaf mechanism fastened toget-her with hinges of flexible material, said mechanism consisting of two complementary blocks hinged to come together as a composite block having generally arch-shaped top and bottom surfaces, two sets of complementary ring halves carried by said blocks, the latter being fastened as by adhesive to the back panel to stiffen the latter and give a curved form, a flexible strip extending from each cover across its hinge portion to strengthen the latter and over the top surface of the adjacent block to a line near its top edge, the strip being fastened down as by adhesive, the top portion of each block having a small shoulder against which the end of the strip abuts, means to hold the blocks together in abutting relation and to release them to respectively close and open the ring halves by movement of the blocks on a hinge line along the back panel coinciding with adjacent lower edges of the blocks, each block of such construction having a narrow substantially horizontal shelf against which the inner side edge of the adjacent cover abuts when such cover is closed and substantially contacts with the sides of the rings.

2. A loose-leaf binder comprising a unit construction made up as a binder case of a continuous sheet formation of covers, flexible hinges and back panel, the latter having substantially the same flexibility as the hinges, said unit being combined with a unit of loose-leaf mechanism made up of two complementary blocks, said blocks each carrying a set of prongs to cooperate with the prongs of the other set to hold loose-leaf sheets, said blocks being substantially covered on the top by cloth strips one for each block and being covered on the bottom by cloth, the top strips being respectively extended over their adjacent hinges and fastened on the adjacent covers respectively, the cloth on the bottom of the blocks having vertical strips fastened thereto which cover adjacent vertical faces of the blocks, said strips and the cloth on the bottom being hingedly fastened together to provide a cloth hinge joint between the blocks on the line of their lower surfaces, said cloth 0n the bottom being also fastened to the back panel of the binder unit, all adapted to assemble the unit of the binder case and the unit of the loose-leaf mechanism by fastening said strips in the manner described, the top and bottom surfaces of said blocks being substantially of the same curved arch form but reversely arranged one to give normal book curved back panel support for the flexible back panel and the other to help turn the sheets more easily. 1

3. The combination of a book binding case composed of laminated sheets making covers, hinges and back panel, the latter having substantially the same flexibility as the hingespa loose leaf mechanism composed of two blocks of substantially the same length as the back panel, each having a cross-section generally pearshaped but with their bases flat so as to abut, said two blocks being nested in the flexible back panel and fastened thereto, having their bottom surfaces in place to hold curved back panel form for the said panel when the book is closed, flexible strips fastened to the blocks, to the covers, to said back panel and against the abutting faces of said blocks, some of said strips extend: ing across the cover hinges to strengthen them and one fastened across the joint at the lower line of the abutting flat faces and to the back panel adjacent said line and one having vertical flaps fastened along said lower line and to'the abutting faces of said blocks to make a strong inexpensive back panel hinge for the blocks as they rest on the back panel said last-named strip cooperating with the flexibility of the back panel to use the latter so as to contribute to the strength of said last-named hinge.

4. The combination of two sets of ring halves, two hinged blocks one to hold one set and one to hold the other set,-said blocks having contiguous flat abutting faces adjacent their hinge line and curved upper and lower surfaces, a binder case having a back panel in which the lower faces of the block are nested, a hand-operated latch adapted to hold the blocks together and 10 the rings closed, said latch being located be tween pairs of rings and well inside both ends of the back panel so as to be normally hidden by loose leaf sheets on the rings, a hand-operated lever for said latch adapted to extend centrally and upwardly adjacent a pair of ring halves whereby the ring halves may be closed and the latch operated simultaneously by one hand, in the manner and for the purposedescribed.

JOHN SCHADE. 

